Days: Frances Reid's Death

I have waited nearly a week to write about Frances Reid passing away. Even after this time, that news fills me with sadness, though she lived to the age of 95. We were all very lucky to have been able to enjoy her work for 42 years (from 1965-2007) on Days of Our Lives as Alice Horton. The one uplifting thing was seeing both the character and actor trend on twitter on the night her passing was announced. She has touched many people over the years.

Like many, I grew up on soaps. Days of our Lives was the one I would watch when I was home sick from school or maybe it was the one I would get sick to stay home from school to watch. As many have said, Alice Horton was the ideal grandmother. She would listen to your heartache, give you good advice and make awesome homemade baked goods, as donuts were her specialty. Seldom does watching television make me hungry, but seeing Alice’s donuts made my mouth water. Unfortunately, this no longer was the case after the serial killer plot in which Marlena “killed” Alice among others though they ended up alive and in Melaswen.

The donuts of course were just an excuse, a reason to sit and chat. Many words of comfort were spoken in the Horton kitchen over a plate of these yummy goodies. Alice even used these donuts in a jailbreak, but that was before I can remember the happenings of the lives of those in Salem. Making food from scratch takes time, so Alice’s donuts were a way she showed her commitment to her friends and family.

Alice’s love for her husband Tom was another thing that made her unique in the daytime landscape. Tom and Alice were truly always, and not just because it was their song. As the lyrics go, they were not for just an hour, not for just a day, not for just a year, but always. Tom and Alice were committed and a team, even if it was revealed in the early 90s that their marriage was not legal. They remarried again, and all was back to normal.

Less than five years later, Tom passed away. Alice never forgot her late husband, which was a good thing that Days or Our Lives did. We would see pictures of the duo on the mantle. At Christmas, we would see Alice and Tom’s ornaments side by side on the tree. The longevity of their relationship gave hope to the younger members of the Salem community. Love can be lasting and lifelong.

Alice was feisty, strong, willful, honest, kind, and loving. All the things I wished to have in a grandmother. In addition, for some of us, this fictional character was the closest thing we had to one. Thank you Frances Reid for sharing your talent with us, and giving those of us in the audience a character that showed comfort and love to those who needed her help. I hope that Days does a fitting tribute to both Frances Reid as a performer and Alice Horton as a character.